Science / Year 5 / Science Inquiry Skills / Planning and conducting

Curriculum content descriptions

Identify, plan and apply the elements of scientific investigations to answer questions and solve problems using equipment and materials safely and identifying potential risks (ACSIS086)

Elaborations
  • experiencing a range of ways of investigating questions, including experimental testing, internet research, field observations and exploring simulations
  • explaining rules for safe processes and use of equipment
  • discussing the advantages of certain types of investigation for answering certain types of questions
  • considering different ways to approach problem solving, including researching, using trial and error, experimental testing and creating models
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Experiments,  Data collection,  Problem solving

Video

Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Properties and behaviour of gases

All substances are made up of tiny particles. A change in temperature can change the way these particles behave. Watch as the Surfing Scientist demonstrates how a gas behaves when it is heated. Find out whether the balloon gets sucked or pushed into the bottle!

Interactive

Let's make slime!

This resource explains how to make slime using cornflour to produce something called a non-Newtonian fluid. A non-Newtonian fluid is a substance which has properties of a liquid and a solid. This means it can flow like a liquid, but also can have a set shape. It all depends on the amount of force you apply to it. In this ...

Online

Home energy use

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions and sustainable energy use and are two of the major issues facing the world today. This project explores energy use in homes, and compares individual energy use with the class average and calculate and graph CO2 emissions.

Interactive

Invictus Games Sydney 2018 – Stage 3 – Adaptivity and Invictus

This Stage 3 unit explores the idea of ‘adaptivity’ and identity across a number of KLAs. Students will answer the question ‘What is adaptivity?’ and will develop an understanding of how adaptivity serves inclusivity, especially in relation to adaptive sport. Students will explore the history and future of prosthetics. ...

Online

Every drop counts, being water wise!

This activity aims to explore water usage and water saving ideas. Every drop counts! OUTCOMES are for children to: understand the importance of water; look at ways to help save water; and undertake a water audit.

Online

Water for wildlife

With Australia’s changing climate we need to adapt to our altering conditions. This is challenging but also possible for humans through behaviour change and infrastructure change (too advanced?) but not quite so easy for our precious wildlife. While water is considered renewable as it functions as part of a water cycle, ...

Text

Work sample Year 6 Science: Mouldy bread

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 6 Science. The primary purpose for the work sample is to demonstrate the standard, so the focus is on what is evident in the sample not how it was created. The sample is an authentic representation of ...

Interactive

Sites2See: Insects and Spiders

This page links to a range of materials from the Australian Museums' Bugwise program, with additional materials and activities, including a resource about invertebrates in freshwater.

Interactive

experiMENTALS: Spooky slime

This resource contains a materials and instruction list and brief explanation for students about the process of making spooky slime with cornflour to produce a substance that is a little like a liquid and a little like a solid.

Interactive

Waste and materials – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on waste and materials using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate ...

Interactive

Kitchen gardens – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on kitchen gardens using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and ...

Interactive

Ecospace

A resource for Stage 3 students called Ecospace which takes students on a journey through the design process, requiring them to explore a real space in their immediate learning environment and to show a real school audience how improvements could be made.

Interactive

Biodiversity – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This biodiversity learning resource guides students through an extended school based investigation. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

Text

It’s Alive: Conditions on Earth

In this resource, students investigate and measure the conditions of planet Earth. They explore temperature, gravity and the needs of living things. Students also discuss how some conditions on Earth are constant, while other conditions regularly change, and how living things have adaptations to survive these changes.

Downloadable

Water is special

In this lesson sequence, students explore what water is and how it behaves as it changes from ice to liquid water to water vapour. The purpose of this lesson sequence is to give students a mental picture of water molecules. Learning about how these molecules behave when water is heated and cooled can help them to understand ...

Video

Kids in the Garden, Ep 13: Plants in our daily lives

Can you imagine a world without plants? Do you agree that plants are important to our lives? Listen to Nick explain the amazing variety of ways you use plants every day, often without knowing it.

Video

Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Red cabbage pH experiment

It might sound 'un-sciencey', and have a bad smell, but red cabbage is actually very useful for testing the pH of liquids. Added to well-known liquids like lemonade or vinegar, red cabbage juice changes to 'pretty colours'. In this clip, Surfing Scientist Ruben Meerman explains the colour changes and how red cabbage juice ...

Video

Restoring a native creek habitat

Discover how a primary school is working with local environmental groups to clean up the local creek and promote the return of native animals. View this clip called 'A fishy story!', created by young reporters from Willunga Primary School, South Australia. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the ...

Video

Catalyst: Sending seeds into space

Why might we need to keep a collection of seeds from all over the world? Where would we keep a collection like that? Should we send some of them into space? Watch this clip to reveal answers to all these questions and more.

Video

Steam or just a load of hot air?

Take a journey with two 2013 Sleek Geeks Eureka Science Schools Prize finalists, as they present their take on the history of steam power. See how they link steam power, the properties of water and the way energy is converted. WARNING: if flickering light affects you, you may be best to avoid watching this video.